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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26052277">‘Cause We are Glass</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zstar385/pseuds/Zstar385'>Zstar385</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, F/M, Non-Canon Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:14:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26052277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zstar385/pseuds/Zstar385</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione visits Hogwarts for a remembrance gala of the final battle and finds herself pulled into the past in one of the darkest and scariest moments of her time at Hogwarts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>‘Cause We are Glass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is actually the first Fanfic I ever wrote. It all started with seeing Hermione in the bathroom with Draco instead of Harry. It was driven by Thompson Square’s song “Glass.” That’s also where the title comes from. </p><p>I have a lot of scenes re-written with Hermione and Draco’s relationship so this might not stay a one-short. Let me me know what you think.</p><p>As normal, I don’t own Harry Potter or any of the magic therein. That is solely claimed by JKR herself. I only own the plot twisting and manipulation you see before you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione crouched low in the drafty hallway, her long charcoal robes fluttering on the always present breeze in the Castle. Her hand tenderly grazed the cold stone wall while, in her mind’s eye, she took in the rubble, the blood, and the bodies strewn about instead of the paintings hung for just this occasion. She didn’t even try to stop the tears as they flowed from her clenched eyes. The pain, never far away, was harder to handle when she was back on school grounds. It didn’t matter how hard she tried to stay grounded, each horrible event would come screaming to her as if it was happening all over again. It was as if the school had absorbed the anguish, the terror of that final battle, haunting those who may have survived. Biting back a sob, she placed her forehead on the rough wall, pushing into the roughness and discomfort to try and push the encroaching darkness back; to bring herself back into the present as her arm started pulsing to match the blackness dancing at the edge of her vision.</p><p>With a final deep breathe and then a ragged sigh, Hermione roughly wiped at her tears. Standing up, she wrapped her left arm around herself and pushed the other into her chest over her heart as if she was literally trying to hold herelf from falling apart. All the while, she kept her eyes shut, breathing through the memories flashing through her mind. You can do this, she thought. She shook her head, trying to shake the images away of friends and schoolmates who had died within these grounds. Trying to ignore the pulsing arm and its persistent black void. Automatically, she took in the currently blank portrait frames that lined the memorial and breathed a small sigh of relief. I can do this.</p><p>When another hand landed on her left arm, Hermione jumped. Grabbing for her wand before turning quickly, she was instantly stopped by two hands on her shoulders. </p><p>“Hermione, it’s okay. It’s me,” Draco whispered soothingly. He slowly moved his left hand to gently touch hers. Her wedding ring warmed at the proximity of its mate. Something he knew was the only thing that would be able to get through the emotional haze she’d been building towards for days now. “Mia?”</p><p>Blinking rapidly, Hermione squeezed her husband’s hand. “I’m sorry. I-“</p><p>“It’s okay.” Draco interjected as he brought their clasps hands to his lips. “I understand. I really do.” Reaching out, he cupped her face and brushed at the tear tracks he found there. He had a really hard time when she cried and now it was made worse by his own guilt. </p><p>Smiling softly, Hermione reached up and squeezed his hand. Pulling away lightly, she turned to look back towards the main hall. She could clearly hear everyone milling around and talking. The voices easily echoing down the mostly deserted halls of Hogwarts. While she understood the need to hold a ceremony honoring the fallen, it wasn’t easy for those who were actually at the final battle to be in the school. Looking back at the loving if not worried silver eyes watching her, she turned away from the voices filtering down the hallway. “Can we just walk for a moment? I don’t think I can handle the crowd just now.”</p><p>Draco placed his arm around her waist and pulled her in as close as he could while they walked away. He felt her fit perfectly into his side, her arms going around him as she leaned into him. As he had for years, he reveled in the fact that she was with him. That he was able to live a dream he’d hidden for all those years they were together as students in these corridors.</p><p>“I can think of a few places I always wished we’d been able to visit while we were students. Particularly one legendary hidden alcove on the second floor behind a rather interesting painting of a woman apparently flailing at a mewling child with flowers!” His whispered words danced across the sensitive part of her ear, causing her breathe to hitch, just slightly. His own lips twitched as the sound. When her eyes met his, there was amusement and heat mixed with the sadness. “Oh, I how I remember the few times I rubbed the flower to get into that tight little space,” his eyebrows wiggled suggestively as he pulled away to look at the face so dear to him. </p><p>“Oh, do you mean to paw at me as if you were a teenager hiding from the prefects and professors?”Hermione stopped and looked at him. The stunned look on her face in stark contrast to the teasing light dancing in her softening brown eyes. </p><p>“My dear, you know very well that I don’t paw. Especially not when I thank Merlin more and more every day for you.”</p><p>Stopping him, she stood up on her toes to kiss him quickly and then turned and jogged away a little. “If you want to fulfill any of those fantasies of yours, you best come catch me don’t you think?” Giggling at how his eyes flashed at the challenge, Hermione turned again and started off towards the painting in question. </p><p>Panting, Hermione eventually slowed down. Definitely need to get out more, she berated to herself, lamenting the agility of her younger years.  Navigating the staircases had been interesting as she suspected they knew what was going on and had twice gotten her turned around. When she was finally able to get off the stairwells, she continued jogging along the corridor eventually stopping to catch her breathe. It was then that she felt arms wrap around her waist.  </p><p>This time, she wasn’t scared by it. She’d felt her ring getting steadily warmer the closer the footsteps got. Instead, she melted into him; soaking in the warmth radiating from his body. When his head, which was laying on her shoulder, stopped placing butterfly kisses against her neck, she looked up. At about the same moment, she felt him stiffen and pull away. </p><p>Before she could stop him, Draco walked away and through the door she had just noticed in front of her. Immediately felt dread and fear welling up again as she followed in her husbands wake. There was no mistaking where they were. Pushing the door open, she whispered, “Draco?” The quiet words loud in the tomb like silence encased in the bathroom. </p><p>Hermione looked to the left where she almost expected him to be leaning over the sink, almost sobbing under the weight he carried. Instead, he was hunched in the center of the floor, staring down at the surprisingly dry drain. She wasn’t sure what she had expected being in this room again. She’d avoided it at all costs after that night. They both had. Even if that had been the beginning of the end, in so many ways it had also been the beginning of them. At least as Hermione saw it. </p><p>Walking towards the stoically silent figure of her husband, she laid a gentle hand on his arm before crouching down. She felt the echo of that night. The night where one bad decision fueled by fear and anger almost turned her best friend into a murderer. Had almost killed the person she couldn’t imagine her life without. </p><p>The moment her hand touched the floor, she found herself falling as if down a well. Her world started to blacken and breathing became hard. The darker her vision became, the more she was pulled into the past and forced to relive everything. </p><p>							*****</p><p>Standing with his head bent over the sink, Draco stood, struggling to breathe through weight of his duties. Taking a deep breathe, holding it, then releasing it slowly was his sole focus. He could feel the panic welling up. You can do this. You have to protect her. Be a better than your father. Breathe in deeply; hold it; then release it slowly. You have to do this. You need to protect her. You will be better than your father. With each breathing cycle, he was able to push the rising tide back a little more. It was only as he raised his eyes to the mirror that he realized that Myrtle was talking to him. Closing his eyes, he tried to feel the shame and regret he should have felt at confessing everything to the dead girl…but he couldn’t. It was the closest to relief he’d felt in so long.  </p><p>“I can help you, Draco.” The normally whining voice was pleading as she tried to float into his line of sight. “Let me help, please.”</p><p>“You kno-“</p><p>The sound of the door shutting echoed in the absolute silence following the desperate question. Grabbing his wand, Draco stood ready to destroy whomever had walked in as Myrtle disappeared.</p><p>“Come out!”</p><p>Hermione walked out of the shadows by the door, stopping just a few feet away from the shaking youth, her hands up showing she had no wand at the ready. “I- I- I didn’t know it was you i-“</p><p>“This is a boys’ bathroom. How is it possible that such an insufferable know-it-all doesn’t know that. Get Out!”</p><p>Hermione paused. She had heard Myrtle’s voice begging to help someone and had assumed it meant someone was hurt. While it was obvious that the person across from her wasn’t bleeding or dying, she felt an internal push that something wasn’t right. From this distance, she could easily see his warrines in the graying circles around his usually bright silver eyes and disheveled clothes. Harry was so desperate to see the person in front of her as the enemy that he missed the obvious: Draco was drowning. “Are you okay?”</p><p>For a heartbeat, Draco was too shocked to respond. He wanted to scream at her; wanted to make someone else responsible for the burden. He wanted out. Just as he started to fall off that cliff, he saw his mother with her barely hidden terror and whispered promises of survival. “As if you actually care. You’re here to spy for your little Chosen One. Get out before I d-“</p><p>“STOP!” Hermione screamed as she stomped towards him, trying to ignore the sting of his words. “I am tired of the ‘big bad pureblood’ act. Something is wrong! You, who has preened and strutted for five years, have been quite almost all year. You are clearly not eating. You’re not sleeping. You look like a man trying to stop himself from making a choice he doesn’t want to while walking off the edge anyway. Just STOP...”  Taking a deep breathe, she stood her ground, almost toe to toe with him. Clenching her hands into fists, she tried to hide the shaking as she forced herself to hold his gaze. Trying to compel him to realize she saw what no one else was seeing: the fear.</p><p>Draco closed his eyes; breathed in; held it; and breathed out again. The tide was pushing hard and he needed her pleading eyes to leave. So, he just scoffed. “Pathetic, Granger. Even for you,” he muttered. His wand lowering a bit as he purposely relaxed his position. “I don’t do what I don’t decide to do myself.”</p><p>She just stared for a moment and shook her head. She couldn’t understand why she was disappointed but she was. “He doesn’t control everything yet. He manipul-“</p><p>“You know NOTHING of what he does and does not do. You and your muggle blood loving friends will only know him as you die. A quick and painless end while others are forced into slow, torturous moments where death is promised but denied just to bring more anguish for his pleasure.” Putting his arms down, he turned back to the sink and returned to his original position. “You’re not even worth the effort.”</p><p>“Draco,” the pleading note becoming more prominent as her desperation rose, “there are ways around this…whatever this is. Don’t do it. PLEAS-“</p><p>All of the sudden, the door burst open and Hermione screamed. Draco jumped in front of her throwing out a silent disarming spell and dodging the red streak aimed at him. Hearing it hit one of the sinks, he felt the water spraying, drenching him and the witch behind him. </p><p>“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Harry screamed as he charged, muttering another spell to throw his enemy away from his best friend. </p><p>Draco felt the anger wash over him, pushing out his worries about his task. He embraced the familiar hatred of the boy in front of him. Perfect Potter. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. Screaming out, he started flinging hexes as quickly as he could as he threw Hermione to the ground behind him and moved to take cover in the closest stall. “CRUCI-“</p><p>“SECTUMSEMPRA!”</p><p>Draco gasped and felt himself slowly falling, his wand slipping out of his suddenly limp hand. Landing on the waterlogged floor, Draco found it hard to take a breath or look away from the shadow now looming over him. </p><p>Harry stared in horror as the red bloomed on the drenched white shirt. Desperately trying to scramble forward on the wet tile, he was thrown backwards.</p><p>“Expeliarmus”</p><p>Throwing herself over Draco, Hermione glared at Harry. “Get Help!” she screamed as she desperately tried to think of what Harry’s Potion book had said while doing every healing charm she could possibly think of. </p><p>At that, Myrtle reappeared screaming and flew out of the room down the halways. Her screeching “Murder” trailing behind her. Even before it could fade entirely, Snape ran into the room and quickly reached Draco. </p><p>Pushing Hermione out of the way, Snape began a musical incantation and the blood, which had flowed into the water and covered most of the floor began to recede. Once it had stopped, he picked up the boy and quickly moved from the room. He stopped only to pin the still prone Harry with a stare, “Do not move.” </p><p>Once the quick footfalls were impossible to hear, Harry turned to Hermione, his face awash with shock and remorse. </p><p>“Don’t” was the only thing she said from her position on the other side of the room. She was trying very hard to control her temper as she picked up Draco’s wand. In doing so, she resolutely stared at a spot over Harry’s shoulder. She was trying to breathe through the anger and panic threatening to consume her. Closing her eyes, she breathed in; held it; and breathed out again. I have to calm down. He didn’t kill him. He’s going to be fine. Breathing in; holding it; and breathing out was her only focus as she waited for their professor to return.</p><p>							*****</p><p>Slowly she felt the warmth that was surrounding her. The whispered cries, the begging, brought her back to the present. “Come back. Breathe. It’s alright. I’m right here. Come back to me. I’m right here. Come back, please, come back.”</p><p>“Draco?”</p><p>Her strangled voice, full of the fear and panic she remembered, was a balm to the anxiety wrapped around his heart. Pulling her tighter against him, he sat on the floor with her body half in his lap as he rocked back and forth. Closing his eyes tight against the panic he breathed in; held it; and breathed out in time with his body’s movment.  </p><p>Blinking slowly, Hermione felt herself slipping back into herself. She had hoped that being forced to experience the painful memories of others, a side effect of Bellatrix’s cursed, would fade with time. But, like the scars themselves, the effects were the same as the day she had endured them. Being forced to feel the negative emotions of violent memories was bad, but the stronger the memory and the weaker her occlumency walls meant that she didn’t just feel them but was forced to live through them in real time. </p><p>Draco kept a strong hold around her, his face nestled against her cheek, rocking back and forth slowly. Whispering in time with the rocks, he kept repeating, Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out. His eyes clenched, he was pushing back the memory of everytime she had been drowned in the pain of others; of the many healer appointments; of the St. Mungos stay she almost didn’t get to leave.  </p><p>Draco held her close and calmed himself as fast as he could. The moment she’d fallen in on herself, the fear of going back to blank eyes and the cold halls of St. Mungo’s had literally stopped his heart. Only when he’d heard her muttering did it start beating, painfully, again. He’d stand by her through everything, as nothing could compare to what she had stood with him through, but he couldn’t stop himself from hoping that he’d never have to live through looking after a shell instead of holding onto his feisty witch. </p><p>“I would have saved you, that night. If you’d have let me.” She whispered, clinging to him as she tried to plaster herself as close to her husband as she could. The warmth from her wedding band pulsing through her, helping push the bleakness of the past away. </p><p>Draco stood and pulled her up from the floor. As soon as she was fully standing, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close again. Burrowing his head into her neck, he placed a sweet kiss behind her ear and pulled back. “I know but we both know there is nothing that could have been done.”</p><p>Pulling back, Hermione’s eyes flashed in denial. “I would have …have stood on that tower right beside you. I…I…would have dragged you with me when we escaped the manor. I could have stolen you away in the night once you were released. I would have stood in front of Voldem-“</p><p>“Stop!” Grabbing her face between his hands, he held her eyes with the steel of his own. He had no resolve as strong as the one to try and keep this witch as safe. He knew she still dreamt of the horrors she’d endured, those she lived through and those of others’ she was forced to live though. “I understand. And as much as I appreciate the idea, doing any of that would have not only probably destroyed our chance at winning the war, it would have killed you. I would endure all of it again, as it brought you to me.”</p><p>Nodding her defeat in an argument they’d had many times before, she smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. I- It- Nothing hurts more than when its you. When I’m forced to live through your pain.”</p><p>Draco pulled her close again, placing kisses from her eyes to the tip of her nose to her lips. “And that, Hermione Granger-Malfoy, is why you are a bleeding heart.” Leaning down, he pulled up her arm and placed a kiss where he knew her scars would be burning the most. “You’re the reason I realized my father was wrong and the reason that I am who I am today. You might not have stopped the events of that year, but you saved me in more ways than I can ever explain to you.” </p><p>With a breathy sigh, she pulled him close and kissed him with everything she could. When they pulled back, she rested her head on his chest. Breathe in. “I love you.” Hold it. “I will always love you.” Breathe out. “You are worth every moment it took to get to you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The song - https://youtu.be/tPd1GIwjRFM</p></blockquote></div></div>
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